The Final Choice
by SheWhoDefinitelyMustNotBeNamed
Summary: An unsub is kidnapping siblings and forcing their parents to choose between who lives and who dies. Things get worst when he kidnaps Hotch and Prentiss' children and forces them to choose. Will they be able to choose?
1. Responsibility

**Okay so I told myself that I was going to wait until I finished my Kindergarten fic before I posted another one, but I just couldn't wait any longer and had to write this one. I really hope you all will enjoy the story. Anyway here is the first chapter...**

**Oh and by the way, I only own Cade and Drake in this chapter. Emily and Jack belong to CBS.**

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**"We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility for our future." ~George Bernard Shaw**

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Emily Hotchner, formerly known as Emily Prentiss, sat in a white rocking chair in a nursery with her six week old son, Cade Owen Hotchner. The nursery was covered in blue wallpaper with baby zoo animals painted on it. Emily and Aaron had been married for over a year.

Although Cade had dark brown eyes and black hair like both parents, he had Emily's nose. A few moments later as Emily rocked her son to sleep, she heard the front door open and then shut. Footsteps could be heard running up the stairs. Jack Hotchner then appeared in the room, placing his book bag by the crib and running over to where Emily sat.

"Can I hold my baby brother?" asked Jack as he held out his hands.

With a smile, Emily said, "Of course you can, but you have to sit down first."

Jack sat down on the floor and held out his hands. Emily carefully placed the tiny sleeping infant in his arms. She was amazed at how well Jack was handling the new baby. Most six year olds would be jealous of a new sibling, but not Jack. He loved being a big brother. It gave him a responsibility and that responsibility was making sure no harm ever came to Cade.

"He sleeps a lot." Jack said, while staring at the baby.

"Most babies his age does sleep a lot. So how was school today?"

"It was okay, but I got in trouble." Jack said, with his eyes still on the baby.

"What happened?" asked a concerned Emily.

"Drake Palaski said Cade was a stupid baby. I told him not to say that, but he wouldn't stop. So I punched him. The bus driver made me sit up front." Jack explained.

"Oh I see. Was Drake punished too?"

"No because the bus driver is his Aunt. Are you mad at me?" asked Jack as he looked at Emily.

"Jack, you were defending your baby brother. I could never be mad at you for something like that. I'm very proud of you." Emily said.

"Thanks Emily. You want to hear something funny?"

"Yeah sure."

"Drake's nine years old and he cried like a baby when I punched him." Jack said with a smile.

"Now that is funny." Emily said with a laugh.

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**End of chapter one. I'm terribly sorry that it's such a short chapter, but please tell me what you thought of it. Chapter two will be up in a matter of days.**


	2. Fourteen Months Later

**Before I post this next chapter, I'd like to thank you all for reviewing for chapter one. I really appreciate the reviews and I'm glad you all like it, even though it was fairly short. And I must apologize once again because chapter two is about the same lenght as chapter one. So I'm very sorry about that.**

**Disclaimer: I believe this is the only chapter throughout the entire story where I actually do own the characters.**

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**"Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson**

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Helen and Lenny Pierson were asleep in bed on the night of September 7, 2012 when they were suddenly awoken at 11:30 pm by the ringing of the telephone on the bedside table.

"Who the hell would be called at this time of night?" Lenny angrily asked as he answered the phone.

"What do you want?!"

"If I were you Mr. Pierson, I'd change my tone of voice, unless you want all four of your children to die." A mysterious voice belonging to a male, said on the other end of the phone.

Lenny's face suddenly went pale as he turned to his wife and whispered, "Go check the kids' rooms."

Helen quickly got out of bed and went to check on the children. Lenny soon heard a horrible scream from his wife.

"They're gone! The kids are gone!"

"That must be your wife. Now please put me on speaker phone and bring your wife. She needs to hear what I have to say." The man said.

Lenny quickly got his wife and brought her into the bedroom. They were both too nervous to sit down. Helen was clearly shaken by the discovery of her missing children.

"What have you done to our children?" asked Lenny.

"Calm down Mr. Pierson. Your children are safe, well for now, they are."

The sound of screaming children could be heard in the background.

"Let us go!" scream a child.

"Kyra, is that you? Are you and your brothers alright?" asked Helen.

"I just told you they were fine, but if your daughter doesn't stop shouting, I'll have no choice but to kill her!"

"Just tell us what you want and give us our children back, please." Lenny pleaded.

"Who's it going to be? You have four options? Do you choose Kyra, Ricky, Jamie, or how about Timothy?"

"What are you talking about? Why do we have to choose?" asked Helen.

"Because you just have to or you'll never see any of your children again. Now who will it be?" asked the man, impatiently.

Helen and Lenny stared at each other.

"Quickly, you're wasting precious time here." The man said.

"Okay we've made our decision. We choose Jamie." Lenny said.

"Very well then" The man said in a tired tone of voice. The next sound Lenny and Helen heard was the sound of a gunshot.

Helen fell to the floor in tears and began screaming." NO NOT MY BABY!"

"Your children will be found in an abandoned housing project on 37th West Street. They will be unharmed. Unfortunately the same cannot be said about poor little Jamie. May he rest in peace."

Lenny and Helen were both in tears after the call had ended. They couldn't believe what had just happened.

"Jamie's not dead! He can't be! This is just a dream! It has to be!" sobbed Helen.

"We have to call the police and get the other kids."

That was all Lenny could say as he sat there on the floor next to his wife and cried.

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**End of chapter two. Once again, I'm really sorry about the chapter being short. Chapter three will be longer than both chapters one and two. Please tell me what you thought of this chapter. The next chapter will be up soon.**


	3. Victims

**I'd like to thank you all for reading and reviewing chapter two. Like I had promised, this next chapter is longer than the previous two chapters. Hope you enjoy it.**

**Disclaimer: I only own the victims and their families in this chapter. Nothing else is mine.**

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**"A final comfort that is small, but not cold: The heart is the only broken instrument that works." ~T.E. Kalem**

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Jennifer Jareau, Derek Morgan, Spencer Reid and a five month pregnant Emily Hotchner were sitting in the bullpen on the afternoon of September 8, 2012.

"You know what it is, yet?" Morgan asked while looking at Emily's stomach.

"No, Aaron and I've decided that we want to be surprised with this one."

"What do you want it to be?" asked Reid.

"Aaron wants a girl, but I'm actually afraid of having a girl." Emily guiltily said.

"Why?" asked JJ.

"I'd love to have a daughter, but I'm just afraid that Jack and Cade won't include her in anything. I'm afraid they won't want to play dolls with her."

"I grew up with two sisters and I had no problem playing with dolls." Morgan said.

"You played with dolls?" A surprised Emily asked.

"Yeah and Sarah and Desirae played with cars and action figures. None of us ever felt left out because we always played together." Morgan said.

"I never really pictured you being the type to play with dolls." JJ said.

"Garcia wants us in the conference room. She has a case for us." Rossi said as he walked past the bullpen. Aaron Hotchner was following behind him.

The seven team members were in the conference room. Everyone, but Garcia were sitting down. Garcia was standing next to the presentation screen and presenting the case.

"I remember when I had this job." JJ said.

"You can have it back if you want it." Garcia said.

"I'll let you handle this case and then maybe I'll take it back."

On the very large screen in the room, there were three photographs of children. The first photograph was a Hispanic dark haired and brown eyed girl. The second was a blonde haired and hazel eyed boy. And the third was a brown haired and blue eyed boy. Each child appears to have been shot in the head.

"Last Thursday evening, the body of four month old Selena Salazar was discovered in an abandoned housing project on Palestine Street. Two days later, the body of eleven year old Gabriel Dawson was discovered in an abandoned housing project on Lansbury Street. And last night, the body of three year old Jamie Pierson was discovered in an abandoned housing project on Jacoby Street. Each child was shot in the head." Garcia said.

"That second one is only a couple of streets from where Will and I live." JJ said.

"I don't think you have anything to worry about, dear." Garcia said.

"Why is that?"

"Because the unsub has been kidnapping these children along with their siblings and calling the parents and forcing them to choose between the children. Selena was taken along with her twin sister Sabrina. Gabriel was taken along with his two younger sisters Baylee and Sophia. And Jamie was taken along with his two older siblings, Kyra and Ricky, and a younger brother, Timothy."

"And none of the siblings were harmed?" Morgan asked.

"Nope, only the ones who were killed." Garcia said.

"It's like a game for this unsub. Whoever we are dealing with really has a sick mind." Rossi said.

"We need to talk to the parents of the children. Morgan and Reid will talk to the Salazar's. Emily and Rossi will talk to the Dawson's. And JJ and I will talk to the Pierson's."

Celeste and Carlos sat next to each other on the couch in their living room as Morgan and Reid spoke with them. On the floor, sleeping in a basinet was four month old Sabrina. Celeste was a petite woman with long brown hair and brown eyes. Carlos was a short stout man with short black hair, a goatee, and brown eyes.

"Mr. and Mrs. Salazar, we are deeply sorry for your loss." Morgan said.

"Thank you. We are very grateful to have Sabrina back, but it just isn't the same without Selena." Carlos said with tears in his eyes. "We don't know who would do this to her.""

Sabrina then woke up and began to cry. Carlos picked her up, while Celeste just sat there, glaring. Reid and Morgan noticed this.

"I can't stand to even look at her." Celeste said.

"Excuse me?" A confused Reid asked.

"She blames Sabrina for what happened, but it isn't her fault. Sabrina is just as much a victim as Selena." Carlos said as he held his daughter.

"I don't blame her. It's just that every time I see her, I see Selena. But you know what? I don't see the Selena I used to know. I see her lying in a pool of her own blood. I don't want to see that! Please just find whoever did this to my baby!" Celeste said as she sobbed.

"We're going to do everything we can to find who did this to her." Morgan said.

Emily and Rossi each sat next to each other as they spoke to Nicole and Andrew Dawson, whom were sitting on the couch. Nicole was a tall, thin woman with short curly brown hair and hazel eyes. Her husband Andrew was a tall, slightly large man with short blonde hair and hazel eyes.

"Mr. and Mrs. Dawson, we are deeply sorry for your loss." Rossi said.

"Gabriel was very special to us. He was our only son. How could someone just take him away from us?" Nicole asked with tears in her eyes.

"That's what we'd like to know. Can you think of anyone who would do this?" asked Rossi.

"We don't know anyone. I mean we didn't have any enemies." Andrew said.

"When are you due?" asked Nicole as she noticed Emily's swollen stomach.

"January 9th." Emily replied.

"Congratulations, is this your first one?"

"No, I have a seven year old step son and a sixteen month old son."

"I hope everything goes well for you and your family." Nicole said.

Hotch and JJ were sitting in the living room of the Pierson home. Helen and Lenny were sitting next to each other on the couch. Helen was an average size woman with long black hair and blue eyes. Lenny was tall and thin with short ginger colored hair and green eyes.

"Mr. and Mrs. Pierson, we are so sorry for your loss. Do you know anyone who would do this?" asked Hotch.

"We don't know anyone." Lenny said.

"Jamie must really hate us now and I wouldn't blame him if he did." Helen said.

"This isn't your fault. You were forced to choose and no parent should ever have to go through something like that." JJ said.

"He would have been four years old next Tuesday. What do we do now that he's gone?" asked Helen as tears formed in her eyes.

"Mrs. Pierson, if I were you, I'd celebrate his birthday. I know I never met your son, but I don't think any child would want their parents to be sad on their birthday. Think of all the good memories you had with your son." JJ said.

"You're right. Jamie was always a happy child. He wouldn't want us to be sad on his birthday." Lenny said.

"Thank you both for your time." Hotch said.

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**End of chapter three. Please tell me what you thought. Chapter four will be up soon.**


	4. The Hardest Decision Ever

**Well once again, thank you all for reading and reviewing the previous chapters. I truly appreciate it. I really hope you all will enjoy this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I only on Ted, Elliot and Carly in this chapter. Nothing else belongs to me.**

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**"All violence is the result of people tricking themselves into believing that their pain derives from other people and that consequently those people deserve to be punished." ~Marshall Rosenberg**

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It is nightfall and the team is back at the B.A.U. They are in the conference room, discussing the case. Garcia is also in there with her laptop computer.

"Garcia, I need you to research anyone who may have lost a child within the last couple of years." Hotch said.

"Okay I'm on it." Garcia said as she began searching. After a few moments, she found something.

"Alright, seven months ago, Ted Russell was driving home with his eight year old son Elliot and three year old daughter Carly, when a semi truck slammed into their car. Ted was able to rescue his daughter, but unfortunately, Elliot was pinned in between his seat and the driver seat. He died instantly when the car exploded. Also killed, was a paramedic who refused to leave Elliot's side."

"Ted Russell has got to be the unsub. He fits the profile and that explains why he forces the parents to choose. He believes he was forced to choose between his children." Rossi said.

"What about Elliot and Carly's mom? Where is she?" asked Morgan.

Garcia began searching again and found something.

"Cheyenne and Ted divorced just three weeks after the accident. She now lives in Atlantic City, New Jersey. They share custody of Carly."

"Garcia, I need to you to give me Ted Russell's exact home address." Hotch said.

"Okay his address is 1205 West Pine Street."  
"We need to go there." Hotch said.

The team, minus Garcia soon arrived at Ted Russell's house. All guns were drawn and Hotch knocked on the door of the small blue house. When there was no answer, he kicked the door open and entered the house. The team followed behind him. After a few moments of searching the house, the realized Ted wasn't there.

"There's no sign of him." Morgan said.

At that moment, Hotch's cell phone rang and he answered it.

"Hello?" said Hotch.

"Is this Aaron Hotchner I am speaking to?" asked a voice on the other end of the phone.

"Yes it is. Who are you?" asked Hotch.

"That really isn't any of your concern right now. The only thing you need to be concerned about is which of your sons lives and dies."

Hotch knew right then that he was talking to Ted Russell. And by the expression on his face, the team also knew who it was.

"Now Mr. Hotchner, please put me on speaker phone. I want your wife to hear what I have to say. She is with you, right?"

"Yes she's here and you're on speaker phone now. Is my sons Aunt with you?" asked Hotch.

"You mean Jessica? No she's isn't with us, but no need to worry, I left her tied up at the house. Didn't really see any need to harm her." Ted said.

Hotch signaled for Morgan to go and rescue Jessica. Morgan took notice of the signal and left.

"Now Mr. Hotchner, I need you to choose. I don't like my time to be wasted." Ted said.

"Ted, you don't have to do this. I know what happened to you. I know you believe you were forced to choose between your daughter and son, when your son was killed in that car accident. But that isn't true. You weren't forced to choose. It was just easier to save Carly and I don't think Elliot blames you for that." Hotch said.

"SHUT UP! DON'T YOU DARE MENTION MY CHILDREN! IF YOU DON'T CHOOSE, I WILL KILL THEM BOTH!"

Jack could then be heard shouting angrily at Ted.

"DON'T SHOOT MY LITTLE BROTHER! HE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO YOU! IF YOU HURT HIM, MY DADDY WILL FIND YOU! HE ALWAYS DOES!"

"Wow, your son is quite the brave one. Defending his little brother like that. You must be so proud." Ted sarcastically said.

"I am proud of Jack. He puts others before him." Hotch said.

"Lovely story. Now who will it be? Brave little Jack or scared little Cade? Oh and by the way, your wife can't choose. Jack told me that she was only Cade's biological mother. And we all know a parent would always choose their real child over a step child. We want to keep this game fair, don't we?"  
"Emily loves Jack as much as she loves Cade. She doesn't care if Jack isn't her real son. The love she has for him is the same love she has for Cade." Hotch said.

"You're wasting time, Mr. Hotchner. You need to choose or I'll have no choice, but to kill them both." Ted said.

"DON'T LET HIM KILL CADE! IT ISN'T FAIR! CADE DOESN'T DESERVE TO DIE!" Jack shouted, making sure his father heard him.

"Before I choose, at least let me speak to Jack, please."

"Oh alright. I don't suppose there's any harm in that."

"Daddy?" Jack said.

The moment, Aaron heard his son's voice, tears began to form in his eyes, but he refused to break down. He knew that in just a matter of moments, he will have to sacrifice one of his son's to save the other. It will be the hardest decision he will ever make.

"Yeah buddy, it's me. I'm sorry you and Cade have to be put in this situation." Hotch said.

"It's okay daddy. It's not your fault. And I know Emily loves me like she loves Cade." Jack said.

"You're right. Emily does love you and she could never choose between you and Cade."

"I don't want Cade to die. When he was born, I told him that I would always keep him safe. I'm not going to break that promise. You have to pick me. Please don't let Cade die." Jack pleaded.

Hearing Jack plead for his little brother's life broke the hearts of Hotch and everyone in that room with him.

"I love you daddy." Jack said.

"I love you too, buddy. We all love you. Everything's going to be okay. I promise." Hotch said.

Those were the last words Hotch said to his son because the next voice he heard, belonged to Ted.

"Well Aaron, have you made your decision?"

"Yes I've made it. I choose Jack."

The next sound that could be heard was the sound of a gunshot.

Emily fell to the floor holding her stomach in pain. Tears are flowing out of her eyes. Rossi quickly knelt beside her.

"Call an ambulance!" He shouted.

"You will find your children in the abandoned housing project on Astrid Street. Cade will be unharmed, but sadly the same cannot be said about Jack. May he rest in peace." Ted said as he ended the call.

Morgan soon arrived at Jessica' house and found her tied to a chair. As Ted had promised, she was unharmed, but she was crying. Morgan quickly untied her.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Yeah I'm fine. I tried to stop him, but I couldn't. I'm sorry. Are the boys okay?" asked Jessica.

"I wish I knew." Morgan said.

When JJ and Reid arrived at the housing project, there was no sign of Ted, but they found an unconscious and bleeding Jack lying on the floor. Cade was sitting on the floor next to him, crying. With tears in her eyes, JJ picked him up.

"It's going to be okay, sweetheart."

"He's still alive." Reid said as he was kneeling beside Jack and checking for a pulse.

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**End of chapter four. Please tell me what you thought of it. Five will be up soon.**


	5. Fighting For Their Lives

**Thank you all for the wonderful reviews in the previous chapter! I loved them all! Anyway, here is the next chapter. Hope you enjoy it. **

**Disclaimer: I only own Cade and the baby in this chapter. Everyone else belongs to CBS.**

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**"In the end, everything will be okay. If it's not okay, it's not yet the end." ~Fernando Sabino**

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Everyone, along with Jessica was waiting anxiously in the hospital visitors lounge, on the conditions of Jack, Emily and the unborn baby. No one could believe JJ and Reid when they told them that Jack was still breathing when they found him. After Cade had been checked out, Hotch sent him home with Will. An A.P.B. was sent out for Ted Russell. A while later, Hotch's cell phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Agent Hotchner, it's me, Anderson. I just wanted to tell you that Ted Russell is dead. There was a police chase and he drove his car into a tree. We're thinking it may have been suicide."

"Thanks for the update." Hotch said.

"You're welcome. Hey, I'm sorry for what you're going through. I really hope Emily, Jack and the baby make it." Anderson said.

"That's what we're all hoping for."

As Jack lay unconscious on the operating table, a group of doctors were working on removing the bullet from his brain. There was blood everywhere on the bed sheets.

"We need to work faster. His heart rate is dropping rapidly." A doctor said.

"If we work too fast, we could end up causing this kid to have permanent brain damage." Another doctor said.

Elsewhere in the hospital in the maternity ward, Emily lay unconscious on a table. Doctors were working frantically on saving her and the baby. She has lost a large amount of blood. An emergency c-section was quickly, but carefully performed on her and a very tiny, blue and motionless baby was taken from her uterus. The umbilical cord was tightly wound around the baby's neck. The doctors soon remove it from the baby's neck. No sound was coming from it. While the rest of the doctors tend to Emily, three doctors took the newborn out of the side of the room and work to save it. Soon, the baby let out a very small, but audible cry.

Hotch was standing by the window in the visitors lounge. He was so focused on the window that he didn't even hear JJ behind him, until she tapped him on the shoulder.

"Aaron?"

"Oh I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were here." Hotch said as he turned to face his friend. "Did you call Will and ask how Cade was doing?"

"Yes I called him and he said Cade's doing fine. He was a little scared at first, but then Henry gave him one of his stuffed animals and told him everything was going to be okay." JJ said.

"That was nice of Henry. I'm sure Cade really appreciated that." Hotch said.

The next few moments were silent until JJ said something.

"Hotch, I know there's probably nothing, but is there anything I can do for you?"

"Actually there is something you can do. Can you call Sean and Elizabeth for me? They don't know about any of this, yet."

"I'll do that right now." JJ said as she exited the room.

About five minutes later, a doctor enters the room and asks to speak with Aaron Hotchner. Hotch and the team approaches the doctor.

"How is my son?" asked Hotch with a worried expression on his face.

"Mr. Hotchner, we were able to remove the bullet from Jack's brain, but he's in a coma. His chances of survival are very slim. If he does wake up, he may never be the same again. I'm sorry."

JJ returned about ten minutes later and Reid filled her in about what was going on with Jack. Moments later, another doctor walks in and asks to speak with Aaron Hotchner. Hotch and the team approaches him."

"How's my wife?" asked Hotch.

"Mr. Hotchner, your wife gave birth to a baby girl. Emily did lose an extreme amount of blood, but we were able to stabilize her. She's going to be fine."

"And what about the baby? Is she going to be okay?" asked Hotch.

"Mr. Hotchner, please understand that she was born while your wife was only five months pregnant with her. Her weight is only one pound and her lungs are not fully developed. We had to hook her up to various machines. If she survives, your daughter may never live a normal life."

"Are you suggesting I take her off the machines?" asked Hotch.

"I'm not suggesting anything. I'm just saying that if she survives, she'll need a lot of surgeries in the future. You need to consider your options."

"The doctor then left the room and Hotch sank to the floor and began to sob. His friends were surrounding him.

"I can't lose both my son and daughter."

Rossi knelt beside Hotch and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Aaron, if any child can survive, it's definitely Jack and your little girl. They're going to get through this."

"But what if they don't survive? How am I supposed to bury two of my kids?"

"There have been countless kids who have been in the same situations as Jack and your little girl and they've beaten the odds. You can't lose hope yet." Morgan said.

Emily lay in her bed, staring at the large window. The doctors had just informed her about her baby girl. Her face held a blank expression as she looked out the window. She was so deep in thought; she didn't even hear her husband and friends enter the room. Hotch picked up her hand and she tore her gaze from the window.

"They told me about Jack and the baby." Hotch said.

"I've been told about the baby, but I haven't been told about Jack yet. How is he?" asked Emily.

Hotch retold the story of what the doctor had told him and when he finished, Emily burst into tears. Hotch couldn't control his crying either. Their friends looked on with tears in the eyes too, feeling completely helpless.

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******End of chapter five. Please tell me what you thought. Chapter six will be up soon.**  



	6. I'm Sorry

**Thank you all for reading a reviewing that last chapter. I'm sorry, but the following chapter you are about to read is extremely short. It would have been longer, but I couldn't think of much to add to it. I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I only own the baby in this chapter. Everyone else belongs to CBS.**

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**"True remorse is never just regret over consequence; it is a regret over motive." ~Mignon McLaughlin**

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The following day came around and Hotch was sitting by Jack's bedside, holding his hand. The top of Jack's head is wrapped in a bandaged. Hotch couldn't sleep at all the previous night. Neither did Emily. The two of them were too worried about Jack and their new baby daughter. How could anyone sleep with two of their children in peril?

"I'm so sorry this happened to you. If you survive this, I promise I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you. A parent is supposed to protect their children, not put them in danger. I want to thank you for being so brave for your little brother. I know Cade probably doesn't understand any of this, but someday he will and he will be grateful that you risked your life to save his. He's at JJ and Will's house right now. They're going to take care of him until you get better. Henry's really happy to have a playmate over for awhile. You have a new baby sister. She's very tiny, but also very adorable. She doesn't have a name yet, but she'll get one. Emily and I want her to have a name that means something. No matter how strange it may be. You have to survive because she's going to need both her brothers."

Hotch then broke down in tears. He promised himself he wouldn't cry while visiting his son, but that was one promise he couldn't keep.

"Please come back to us!" Hotch whispered as he kissed his son's forehead.

Emily sat by the incubator that held her tiny newborn daughter. The baby had just had her first open heart surgery. There are various wires attached to the baby.

"You were very brave during your surgery. I think you're stronger than everyone believes. You don't have a name yet, but don't worry, you'll get one soon. I promise. I wish I could hold you, but the doctor says it's too soon. You have two brothers. First there's Jack. He's seven years old and he's the bravest little boy, you'll ever meet. He's going to be so happy when he finds out he has a little sister. Then there's Cade. He's only fourteen months old, but he's very sweet and loveable. Don't be alarmed if he seems a little jealous of you at first, but you'll grow on him. I'm sorry you had to come into this world so early. I was so afraid of having a daughter, but now I'm afraid of losing you. You really need to survive. You survived a day in this world so far and I know you can survive more days. You just have to fight. Hey I think I finally have a name for you; Aarily Jacklynn Cadence Hotchner. What do you think of that? I think it's a beautiful name for a beautiful girl like you."

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**End of chapter six. I know I'll probably be getting a lot of hate on the baby's name, but you're just going to have to realize and accept the fact that not everyone in the world is going to have a normal name like Andrew or Kate or whatever other name is deemed to be "Normal." I happen to believe the name is creative and unique and I'm not afraid to be creative. I'd love to know what you thought of this chapter. I'm sorry it's short, but I just couldn't think of anything else to add to it. I just have one more chapter left, and I hope you stay until the very end of the story. But if you choose to leave the story, then you'll never know the fates of Jack and Aarily. I'll have the final chapter posted as soon as I can.**


	7. One Year Later

**Thank you all for reviewing chapter six. I must say, I was a bit shocked at first that most of you liked the baby's name. I thought for sure that I would get a lot of hate for it. I mean I even started to doubt the name, just moments after I posted the chapter. But I am glad you liked the name And in case anyone is wondering, the name is a combination of Aaron and Emily. Well, I guess you're about to read the final chapter. Hope you all will enjoy it.**

**Disclaimer: Cade and Aarily belong to me. CBS owns everyone else.**

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**"Here is the test to find whether your mission on earth is finished. If you're alive, it isn't." ~Richard Bach**

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A chocolate bunny shaped cake with chocolate and white frosting sat in the center of the table in the Hotchner family kitchen. There were balloons of every color tied to the backs of every chair. A mob of presents sat on the counter top, but everyone had their attention on a tiny girl with black curly hair and dark brown eyes. She was sitting in a high chair with a medium sized chocolate cupcake in front of her. In the center of the cupcake, was a single lit birthday candle. Everyone sang happy birthday to the child.

"Make a wish and blow out the candle, Aarily." Jack said to his little sister.

"I think she may need help with that. How about you, Henry and Cade blow out the candle for her?" Emily suggested.

Jack, Henry, and Cade all blew out the candle and everyone, including Aarily applauded. Cade, being only two years old, was held by his uncle Sean.

"What do you all think she wished for?" Asked Sean.

"I don't know, but I bet she wished that mommy and daddy would take the candle out of the cupcake already." Elizabeth said with a smile.

Emily removed the candle from the cupcake and said, "I don't know if I should take the dress off her first."

"It's her first birthday. Leave it on her. Who cares if she gets the dress dirty?" JJ said.

"Yeah and if it does get messy, we'll take it to the cleaners for you. And I must say, Miss Aarily, violet truly is your color." Will said as leaned over and planted a kiss on the baby's forehead.

Due to being born early, Aarily spent the first four months of her life in the hospital. During her stay, she had already been through countless surgeries. She even died during one of the surgeries, but luckily, the doctors were able to bring her back. Aaron and Emily were told that their little girl wouldn't live to see her first birthday. And if she did, she would have multiple health problems. Well there she was, sitting in a high chair, very much alive and happy. The only problem Aarily had was poor eyesight. So she had to wear thick eye glasses. She was the size of a five month old baby. And just last week, Aarily had learned to crawl, despite the doctors telling her parents that she would never use her motor skills. Aaron and Emily could only hope for the day when their daughter would learn how to walk.

Jack was also fighting for his life last year. After being shot and spending a month in the hospital in a coma, Aaron and Emily were told that if he survived, he'd never be the same again. Just like his sister, Jack proved the doctors wrong. Other than having a paralyzed left arm, Jack was alive and healthy. He had been going to therapy for his arm to regain movement. A few weeks ago, Jack was laying on the floor watching cartoons, when Cade accidentally stepped on his arm and much to his surprise, he felt the pain. He was very excited that he was starting to regain the feeling.

About an hour after eating cake and ice cream and watching Aarily open her presents, everyone was now outside. Sean, Kevin, Reid, JJ, Garcia, and Hotch were playing soccer with Jack and Henry. Elizabeth, Morgan, and Rossi were watching Will push Aarily on a baby swing. And sitting on a chair on the back porch, was Emily. She was holding her son Cade.

"Sing mommy the ABC's please." Emily said with a smile.

Without missing a letter, Cade successfully sang the alphabet.

"I did it, mommy!" Cade joyfully exclaimed.

"Yay! I knew you could. Are you having fun today?" Emily asked with a smile.

"Yeah! I want more cake!" Cade exclaimed.

With a laugh, Emily said, "We'll get more cake later, okay?"

"Okay."

"Mommy?" came Jack's voice as he was now on the porch.

"Yes swee…. You just called me mommy." A shocked Emily said.

"Yeah that's what I wanted to talk to you about." Jack said as he sat down next to Emily. "I've been thinking a lot lately and I'm sure my mommy wouldn't mind, but would it be okay if I started calling you mommy, instead of Emily? I mean mommy will always be my mommy, but I could use another one too."

"Jack, I would love that and I know I could never replace you mother, but I'm proud to be a part of your life." Emily said with a smile and tears in her eyes.

"Thanks mommy." Jack said with a smile as he hugged Emily.

* * *

**Well that's the end of the story. I'd like to thank you all for sticking with the story from beginning to end and reviewing. I really appreciate it, although most of it was pretty short. I really hope you liked the final chapter and I'd love to know what you all thought about it. Once again, thank you.**


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